


Some Don't Get Happy Endings

by MoonlightStarlights



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altean Lance (Voltron), Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Galra Keith (Voltron), M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 11:18:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13363593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlightStarlights/pseuds/MoonlightStarlights
Summary: Lance is a prince and he has been told stories about true love. But a curse binds his family from ever getting that happy ending. So he chooses to actively fight against and be the first to find love and keep it.





	Some Don't Get Happy Endings

When I was a little boy, my mother used to tell my stories.  
She’d read them to me before bed.  
I loved it  
Lance giggled as he leaned against his mother, eyes shining as they scanned over the storybook. It was his favourite one.   
“Mama! Read me this one!”  
“Again, Lance?” his mother asked playfully, a laugh on her lips and her fingers brushed against his hair. She pulled gently on his pointy ears, “You always want me to read this one! Why is that, Lancey Lance?”  
The child squealed and he gently flipped through the book, searching for his favourite page. He gasped as he found it and his tiny hand sprawled itself over the picture. “This is why! It has a handsome prince and it has a happy ending!”  
His mother laughed out loud, “Really? Would you like to find your handsome prince?”  
“Yeah! And my happy ending! I’ll find a handsome prince and I’ll find my happy ending!”  
She laughed as she touched his forehead, tapping the crown that sat on his hair, “Well, your handsome prince will be happy to have another handsome prince like you to be his king.” She tapped his nose lovingly, “Trust me, Lance.”  
Lance nodded, “I do, Mama. Now read me the story!”  
His mother nodded as she flipped to the front, eyes soft as she read quietly, “Once upon a time…”  
\-----------------------------------------  
I desperately wanted my prince  
My happy ending  
However, as I grew and my mother passed,  
I realized my role wasn’t the one I wanted  
\-----------------------------------------  
“What? No! Father, please, why can’t Allura do that?! I don’t want to be married to someone I don’t know!” Lance exclaimed, abandoning his food as he shot up from his chair, “Please!”  
King Alfor sighed tiredly, “I know, my son. But this is for the greater good. Allura is the eldest and she is to be wed to one of our greatest allies, the princeof Daibazaal. Prince Lotor, I’m sure you remember him.”  
Lance grimaced, yes, he did indeed remember him. Nothing he remembered of him was pleasant. Lotor has always been a liar, never genuine about anything he did. He would tease Lance as a child, laughing when he ran to his mother for help. Lance gripped the tablecloth, glaring, “Still! I don’t want to be married with some random princess! I don’t even know her name!”  
“Princess Katie is hardly a random princess, Lance. She’s a princess of Earth and another one of our allies. You’ll like her, she’s very intelligent. I’m sure you’ll grow to love her,” King Alfor insisted, sipping his tea and Lance fumed. He hated how calm his father could act, making seem like this wasn’t big deal. That love wasn’t big deal.  
“Did you marry mom like this?! Was she some random princess or something?!” Lance asked angrily, “Oh wait, no! She was a woman you met on chance! And then were together for a while before marrying each other!”  
Lance wanted to feel guilty, wanted to feel some sort of remorse for bringing up his mother. King Alfor hasn’t been the same since her death. He had suddenly seemed more tired, older, closer to ruin. He was no different now, his calm and collected appearance suddenly looking far more dishevelled at the mere mention of his late wife.  
He stood up, snapping, “What would you know about love, Lance?! All you know about love are fairy tales that your mother used to tell you at night! Well, there’s a reason they’re called fairy tales; because that’s all they are! Stories for children to believe in!” King Alfor gripped the table cloth with shaking hands, the servants rushing to get away from the king’s wrath, “The life of royalty is responsibility and loneliness, Lance! We have duties to do and can’t ever think only about ourselves!”  
Lance never liked it when his father was like this. The week that his mother died, all the king would do was snap at others if they dared to enter his chambers, where he mourned. Lance knew he shouldn’t push, that he should back away, but he couldn’t stop himself. He couldn’t stop the words that fell out of his mouth.  
“Are you suggesting that you didn’t love her then?!” he questioned, “That what you had was nothing!? You’re a big hypocrite, you loved my mother even if she wasn’t royal! Why can you do it when me and Allura can’t?!”  
King Alfor glared at his son, who dared to question his love for the woman who changed his life, “Well, look where true love got me! Alone, without the woman who gave me a reason to live, a reason to fight for our love! True love is a road that leads to loneliness for us, Lance! For us, we can never find true love cause in the end, we’ll be alone!”  
Lance flinched at his harsh words. He was tearing up, shaking as he opened his mouth to protest. He was taught that love was worth everything, every pain that would claw at his will, every tear that would be shed. He wanted to fight for the chance to find true love. He just wanted love. But the expression of his father’s face, the way his eyes shone with anger, fear and heartbreak made his mouth shut close. He shakily gripped onto the hem of his shirt, tears going down his face, the words sinking in.   
“I-I…I just…I just want to find love… Why can’t I just fall in love…?!” he whispered, King Alfor panting from his outburst.  
The old king sighed and he walked over to Lance’s side of the table. He pulled Lance into a hug, brushing his fingers through his hair gently, his own head resting on Lance’s.   
“Its our curse…I suppose,” The king mumbled, sighing, “I just want to protect you and your heart… You don’t need to end up like me. A broken man who was nothing left but to do his duties…” he touched Lance’s chest, where his heart was, “You have your mother’s gentle heart. It shines like gold…but its so easily broken.”  
Lance sniffled, his fingers brushing against the place where his heart was.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------  
Despite my father’s warnings, I stilled dreamed of finding my true love  
I still desired a chance to find the one person  
The person who would love my little heart of gold  
Even when my father passed  
I still held onto my rejection of his words  
I would find my true love  
No matter the pain I would endure,   
because isn’t it worth it?  
\--------------------------------------------------------------  
Lance didn’t like it when Prince Lotor came into the position as king of both Daibazaal and Altea, ruling alongside his sister. Lotor was selfish to him, never considering anything as precious. Just tools to use and throw away when they weren’t useful anymore.   
Lance wanted to argue against the marriage, he wanted to stand up, beat down Lotor with his words. But he stayed in his place, watching as his sister got married off to some man who had no care for anyone in the room. Lance would never forget the look of longing that Allura had as her eyes scanned over the crowd that was present. When her eyes landed on Captain of the Royal Guards, Sir Shirogane. Lance would never forget the way Sir Shirogane looked back, the way his stone hard face showed no expression, but his eyes said everything. Lance wanted to stop the marriage, to end of the streak of loneliness that encased his family. But he didn’t.   
Because he was a coward.  
.  
.  
.  
Lance was never expecting that one morning, while eating his breakfast, that Lotor would ever do anything for him, despite how small his action was.  
“I’m getting a bodyguard?” he asked, a raised eyebrow and a skeptical expression adorning his face, “Allura, are you sure he’s giving me a bodyguard and not some assassin sent here to kill me?”  
The girl couldn’t help but smile at the jab against her husband. She had never liked Lotor at all either.  
“I promise you, they’re a bodyguard. I oversaw the process of finding him,” she assured him, biting into her food, “He’s a relative of Sir Shirogane. Adopted brother, I believe.”  
Lance couldn’t help but note the way Allura’s eyes softened when she thought of Sir Shirogane. He felt pity for her.  
“Really? Is he human too?” Lance asked, drinking his tea.  
“No, he was an orphan Galra. Shiro’s family found him and took him in,” Allura replied.  
Lance arched a brow and said, “You called Sir Shirogane ‘Shiro’. It seems you and him are very close.”  
Allura’s face exploded with colour, but her eyes gazed seemed sad, “T-That’s absurd.”  
Lance didn’t push further, the words of his father echoing in his head like a mantra. He sighed and changed the topic, wanting his sister to smile.  
.  
.  
.  
Lance was met with a pair of yellow eyes, with the most beautiful indigo hue in the iris. He could feel his heart pound in his head as the man approached him, build powerful and his stance confident. The gorgeous man bowed his head.  
“I’m Keith, your highness. A member of the Blade, an organization who specializes with bodyguards and general protection. I will be your bodyguard from this day on,” he said, before kissing the back of Lance’s hand.  
Of course, it was simply protocol and he has had many people kiss the back of his hand, but Lance couldn’t help but feel the heat rise to his cheeks and he could feel the thumping of his heart.  
“I-I trust that you will do your job well, then,” he said, trying to keep his princely, stoic expression in tact, “I’m Prince Lance of Altea. And please, drop the title. I expect to get to know you better.”  
Keith looked almost surprised at his desire to know him, but he smiled genuinely and said, “Of course, Prince Lance.”  
Lance practically was floating off the ground.  
\----------------------------------  
I found him  
He wasn’t a handsome prince  
He wasn’t refined, patient or perfect  
He was wild  
Impatient  
Full of flaws  
And I loved every single one   
\----------------------------------  
Lance leaned over the balcony, eyes hooded as he watched Keith practice with Sir Shirogane. He sighed dreamily, this routine never gets old. It’s been months since Keith jumped into his life and it has never been so exciting. Despite going through the same mundane routine he’s been doing for years, Keith seemed to make it like it’s the most amazing thing ever. Just his presence alone was enough to motivate him.   
“Are you going to stare all day, or are you going to actually do your work?”   
Lance yelped and turned, looking at his sister, who leaned against the doorframe with a smug expression. He groaned as he glared at her, crossing his arms.  
“Fuck off, I’ll do it when I want to,” Lance replied, but he sat down at his desk, directing his gaze the piles of paper, “Why do I have to do this again? I’m not exactly important to the royal family or choices that are made. So why do I have this?”  
Allura sighed as she pats the pile of paper, “This is study material about Earth and everything important about it. When you are married to Princess Katie, you will be co-leader of Earth. You’re going to have to know this.”  
Lance stared at the pile, as if it was the source of all his problems. The reason why his fate was sealed to unhappiness and a loveless marriage. He picked up the paper and read the title.  
“Wow, don’t I love ‘Earth Economics’. I can’t believe how interesting this is,” Lance said sarcastically, “I’m so excited to married in some loveless marriage with some chick I didn’t know existed for a majority of my life!”  
Allura glared, scoffing, “Says the one who hasn’t even met the girl yet. As well as the one who hasn’t even been married off yet.”  
She walked past his desk, a scornful look on her face as she walked to the balcony and looked over the gardens and training grounds. She sighed, watching over Sir Shirogane. Her eyes followed his movements before they were directed towards Lotor, who went over to train as well.   
Lance watched the way his sister’s eyes softened when they stared at Sir Shirogane. Whenever he saw her like this, it made him want to vomit. Because she was a mirror of what he would become. Forever pining, unhappy and lonely. He refused to have his fate be like this.   
He walked over, his fingers gently running through her hair comfortingly. He sighed and asked quietly, “Do you love Sir Shirogane?”  
His sister remained silent, glaring at Lotor as he slashed at both Sir Shirogane and Keith. Her breath was shaky, eyes shutting as she mumbled.   
Lance frowned and said, “I can’t understand you. Say it clearer.”  
Allura sighed and replied, “Yeah. I do.”  
“Then why didn’t you object against the marriage? If you love Sir Shirogane, wouldn’t you want to marry him instead of Lotor?”  
Allura pulled away from his touch, turning to him. She glared, her attitude becoming prickly, “Look, if I had a choice, I would’ve. I-If I had the chance to marry Shiro, I would’ve!”  
Lance stared at her for a moment, before carefully asking, “Did…did you and Sir Shirogane have a thing before?”  
His sister didn’t meet his eyes, staring at the floor. She pursed her lip as she trialed her finger along the markings on the balcony absent-mindedly. She shakily sighed and whispered so quietly that Lance almost thought it didn’t actually happen, “Yes.”  
Lance waited for more, for an explanation. When he didn’t get one, he simply said, “Go on. There’s more to it, isn’t there?”  
Allura shook her head, reluctant to say much, “No. It was a thing and now it isn’t. Simple.”  
Lance slammed his hand down on the desk, standing up, “No, not simple. I’ve known you since we were in diapers, I know when you’re lying! What happened? Are the two of you still together?”  
Allura snapped sharply, “This isn’t information necessary for you to know.”  
He glared, walking over, “It is. More than you think, now tell me what happened.”  
Lance knew his sister was stubborn, but so was he. He wondered if his mother was to blame for that.  
“Why do you need this information?” Allura asked, crossing her arms, “I see no situation where it’s needed.”  
“I’m in love with Keith.”  
Allura stared at him, eyes wide with both fear and pity. Lance felt naked under her gaze as he waited for her reply. If she was going to at all. He fiddled with the edge of shirt, the nerves building as the silence lingered over their heads like a blanket.  
“…you want to know so you don’t end up like us. Like the rest of our family,” Allura said and Lance nodded.  
“Y-Yeah…”  
His sister stared once more before sighing, sitting down on his bed and mumbled, “Fine. Me and Shiro both broke it off. It was an…agreed upon action.”  
Lance walked over and sat down, leaning against her shoulder, “Why did you? You must’ve been happy if you were in love.”  
Allura stared off, quiet before replying, “We were. It was the happiest time in my life. But…” she sighed as pressed her forehead against her clasped hands, shutting her eyes, “With my marriage approaching, we realized that we couldn’t be together. If we were to be caught, it would cause a scandal and at best, Shiro would be sent far away. At worst, executed. So, we agreed that in order to protect each other, we broke it off.”  
“But you still love him.”  
Allura sighed at his words, running her fingers through her hair, “Yes. I do.”  
Lance saw the tired way she talked and the clear exhaustion in her posture, so he shut his mouth. He vowed to himself that he would be the one to break the curse his family had. He wouldn’t go down without a fight.  
.  
.  
.  
Lance watched as Keith paced around his room, confused and concerned at the nervous way the galra was biting his nails. He had tried to speak but he always lost the courage to. Finally, he took a deep breath and walked over.  
“Keith, are you alright?” he asked, making his bodyguard yelp, his fluffy ears springing up from their flattened position from before.  
Keith quickly composed himself and replied with a slight shake in his voice, “I’m alright, your highness.”  
Lance groaned the title and he crossed his arms with a pout, “I keep telling you this every day, just call me by my name, no need for titles. I could care less for my stupid prince status.”  
“O-of course.”  
Lance watched as Keith started pacing again and he sighed, figuring that the effort to understand what he was doing was futile and that he might as well let it go.   
He went back to his bed, sitting and listening to the storm that was thundering outside. He could hear the rain loudly bang on his balcony, the sound soothing to him. However, he glanced at Keith and noticed the nervous way he was staring at the window and door to the outside, his tail curling between his legs and ears flat on his head. It was weirdly adorable, this being the first time Lance had ever seen Keith is such a fragile state.  
“Keith…? Are you…scared of the storm?” he asked, watching the way Keith, snapped his head over, a flustered and almost ashamed look adorning his face, with an embarrassed blush blooming over his purple cheeks.   
“W-what?! No! I’m a trained member of the Blade, I would never be afraid of some stupid Altean sto-!”  
He was cut off by a loud of thunder and he screeched, jumping and diving under the bed, making Lance blink in surprise. He slowly crawled over, looking under the bed to see Keith curled up, shaking at the sound of the loud thundering outside that shook the room. Lance stifled a giggle, not wanting to offend Keith. But it was just so cute seeing Keith’s eyes glow and his body small and curled up.  
Lance got off the bed, going down to the floor and looked under the bed. He smiled softly as he held his hand out gently, trying to coax Keith from his hiding spot.  
“C’mon Keith…just take my hand. Then we can talk and then you won’t have to be so scared of the storm, hm?” he whispered, eyes glimmering as he watched Keith slowly crawl over, “That’s it…come here.”  
Finally, Keith was out from under the bed and Lance pat the spot beside him on the bed, gesturing for him to sit. Keith did, walking over tentatively and sat down. He looked uncomfortable sitting on such a lavish bed.   
“Keith, you’ve been here for months. Surely you would’ve gotten used to the room,” Lance said, noticing the way Keith shuffled his feet.  
“Well, I’ve never been on a bed like this so…I think that gets a pass?” Keith mumbled, crossing her arms, “My room isn’t as…fancy, as yours. It’s significantly smaller and a much plainer looking bed. Still very comfortable, don’t worry!” Keith rushed to say the last bit, noticing the slight unhappy look that crossed onto Lance’s face.  
“Well, it better be! I’m not having anyone I care for sleep on some slave bed or something!” the prince exclaimed, making the bodyguard to pause and mull over his words, processing it. Keith’s face exploded with colour, realising Lance’s choice of words. He opened his mouth to speak but Lance interrupted him, “So why are you so scared of storms?”  
Lance leaned over, his hand slowly trailing over, touching Keith’s hand before placing it on top. Keith jumped at the touch and pulled his hand away, making the prince droop slightly. He feared that perhaps his feelings weren’t returned. Keith, however, didn’t look at him with disgust, instead with a simple embarrassed gaze, “Your highness, it’s not proper for royalty to touch their servant’s hands so intimately.”  
Lance glared slightly, “I’m just holding your hand. I want to make sure you’re okay, you’re shaking. Let me be ‘intimate’ or whatever with you, so I can make sure you’re okay. You seem scared and my mother used to give me hugs when I was afraid as a kid.” Keith paused, staring at him for a moment before putting his hand back, letting Lance lace their fingers together. The prince smiled, leaning as close as Keith allowed. Lance smiled as he asked, “So why are you scared of storms?”  
Keith stared for a moment before replying, “My parents died very early in my life and I always had to deal with storms on my own. My house always felt too big and empty for me and I guess, storms would amplify the feeling. There’s no where to run and no one to run to, so I guess I just grew a fear…” Keith glanced at Lance before continuing, “After I was found and taken in by the Blade, I was taken into space into a very secure headquarters, where storms never happened.”  
Lance hummed and said, “Well, at least now, you don’t have to deal with it alone anymore.”  
Keith looked confused, an arch in his brow, “What do you mean?”  
Lance groaned and facepalmed with his free hand, “I mean, you can come to me! Your room is right next to mine!”  
Keith frowned, “I don’t need you to protect me. My job is to protect you, not the other way around. Thank you for the offer though. It’s…a sweet gesture.”  
The prince frowned, “I don’t know if you’re right. You were shaking like a leaf before.”  
“I was not! I was merely startled! I don’t need your he-!”  
A crash and boom echoed around the room and Keith screeched, a small choked sob at the edge of his tongue. He jumped closer to Lance, his ears flat on his head. The prince wrapped his arms around him, rubbing his back as he whispered, “Hey, Keith? Why don’t we just go to sleep, okay? Nothing else other than that. I don’t even need to touch you. I just…want you to feel safe.” He pulled his arms off of the galra, holding his hands up in surrender.   
Keith stared at him for a long time, as if considering his offer. The crashing and booming kept making the guard jump, so he dove forward into Lance’s arms, growling softly, “We don’t speak of my weakness with others, understood?”  
Lance hummed and playfully replied, “Aren’t I the prince here? Shouldn’t I be dishing out the orders?”  
He was met with silence, likely with the galra choosing to not reply in hopes of getting the prince to shut up. Lance giggled softly as he fell back onto his bed, shutting his eyes as he hugged Keith close. He could feel the other man’s heartbeat against his chest, making him almost squeal. He’s been wanting this for a while.  
\---------------------------------------------  
My marriage was coming faster and faster  
While my love for Keith kept growing  
It became stifling  
Ringing in my head every time I thought of him  
I was never happier  
But the cloud of reality always overtook my thoughts  
Reminding me that I wanted what I couldn’t have  
But I refused to give up  
\---------------------------------------------  
Lance sighed as he tugged on the collar of his cape, fingers tapping against the table as he waited for Princess Katie to arrive. He was supposed to have dinner with her that day, although he’d much rather be watching Keith train or perhaps speaking with his sister. Allura has increasingly been more and more tired, more and more quiet and sad. As if the life has been drained from her. Lance was growing increasingly worried for her, but neither of them has had any time to speak to each other.   
“Pardon my tardiness, your highness. I was busy this morning,” Princess Katie said as she entered, a polite but clearly not genuine expression on her face.  
Lance knew the formula, the protocols. So, he simply smiled back and replied, “Not at all, princess. It’s perfectly alright.” Although he couldn’t care less whether not she came at all.  
She sat down, placing the napkin on her lap and asked, “So how was your day?”  
Lance really just wanted to cut the crap and just have a genuine conversation with her. He knew that she didn’t want to marry him, nor did he want to marry her. So, he saw no point in continuing to pretend that they were actually trying to pursue this.  
Lance just sighed and said, “Let’s be honest, you couldn’t care less about my day.”  
Princess Katie looked surprised at that response. Her dead bored eyes suddenly seemed to gleam, finally actually engaged, or at least, interested in the conversation suddenly happening. If only for the curiosity of where this was going. She arched a brow as she picked up a piece of baguette on the table, “Oh? And how would you know that?”  
“Because you look just as bored as I do.”  
Princess Katie smirked slightly as she bit into her food, “Observant,” she sighed as she finally relaxed her shoulders, slumping against the chair, “Well, you are correct. I honestly have no desire to marry you.”  
Lance smiled as he lets himself to relax as well, leaning against the chair with a cocky grin, “And why is that? Despite me wanting the same thing, why do you not want to marry me? Am I not handsome enough for your earthly standards? Is it the ears?”  
Princess Katie stifled a snicker as she replied, “Honestly, Alteans don’t look any different compared to humans. Just switch the ears and take away the markings then boom! You have a human,” She sipped her drink, though much less dainty than she would’ve done if she was following protocol, “Well, I can assure it’s not your looks nor your personality. I honestly much prefer this cocky asshole than a dead prince,” Lance huffed at that comment, “I simply don’t feel any romantic attraction to anyone, much less, you. I’d rather be working than being a princess.”  
Lance smiled as he found common ground with her, finally, “I assume you don’t want me to call you Princess Katie then?”  
She scoffed, “God no. Just call me Pidge. I’d much rather that name.”  
Lance leaned back, “Then call me Lance.”  
Pidge smirked, taking off her crown and placing it on the table, “Then tell me, Lance. Why do you not want to marry me?” He sighed, unsure if he wanted to reveal the real reason. He didn’t even get a chance to speak however, because Pidge suddenly held up her hand and said, “Nevermind, I’ve got it.”  
Lance jumped, surprised that his secret was so discovered, “W-what?! H-how could yo- “  
“It’s written all over your face. You have someone else, right?” Pidge replied, casually biting into an apple, “Tell me, who’s the lucky girl?”  
“You won’t tell Lotor, right?” Lance tentatively asked.  
She scoffed, “Oh don’t worry. I hate his guts, so I won’t be talking to him, period.”  
Lance giggled at that, feeling the same. For a moment, he felt hopeful. That he and Keith could actually work, “Well, she is actually a he.”  
Pidge hummed in response, “Tell me about him.”  
Lance found himself rambling to her about Keith for hours, a red blush on his face the entire time.  
.  
.  
.  
Lance sat in the garden, staring at the night sky, seeing the millions of stars. He longed to be up there. To be free. To be able to do what he wanted. To explore the universe. He lets out a sigh. How he wished he could just hop onto a pod and leave. He couldn’t hear the sounds of the party. It was a rare moment of silence.  
Footsteps echoed against the gazebo’s ceiling, breaking the silence. Lance turned and flushed at the sight Keith. He hasn’t seen his bodyguard throughout the party, too overrun with socializing and drinking to have time to even take notice of his bodyguard. But Lance swore that now that he’s seen Keith, he wouldn’t be able to take his eyes off of him.   
The bodyguard was finally able to wear something more elegant. The fabric clung to Keith’s form, his muscles showing through. It made Lance drool slightly. The golden accented his clothes and it glowed in the moonlight. Keith was gorgeous, a silver light shining against his purple skin.  
Lance could feel his heart in his head, blushing as he leaned against on the pillars and sitting on the railing, “You scared me.”  
Keith chuckled as he sat down next to him, leaning against the pillar across from Lance, “I apologize. i didn’t realize that the mere sound of footsteps would frighten you.”  
Lance pouted at the teasing tone that laced each word, “Shut up. You exactly what I mean.”  
Keith smirked as he leaned over, “Oh no. Do tell what you mean.”  
The prince scoffed, before giggling, “Nah. I have to keep some air of mystery surrounding me.”   
“I don’t think there’s anything about you that I don’t know about you.”  
Lane could see the challenge in Keith’s eyes. It was dangerous and addicting. He didn’t want Keith to stop looking at him like that. He leaned over as he mumbled, “I’m sure there is something you don’t know about me.”  
“Oh? Then tell me. What do I not know about you?”  
Lance could feel Keith’s breath against his lips, they were so close. Lance swore Keith could hear his heart beating erratically against his rib cage as he gulped. He stared up, at him. God, his lips looked so delicious, he could just move up a little and he would be kissing the man of his dreams. He didn’t however, replying with, “I don’t have to disclose that information.”  
Keith smirked, “Then you don’t have proof that there’s something about you that I don’t know about.”  
Lance felt a pull, the need to kiss Keith. The smirk on Keith’s face made him weak at the knees and he finally just threw his fears out the window and closed the gap, shutting his eyes to enjoy to bliss of kissing Keith.  
His lips were soft, tasting like the alcohol and food that was served at the party and something so distinctly Keith. Lance felt himself almost get drunk on the taste of just a single kiss. He could feel Keith’s arms wrap around his waist and his heart soared. He pulled away for air and for a long moment, just stared into Keith’s eyes, foreheads pressed together. They were breathing heavily and Lance finally whispered, “You didn’t know I love you, did you? So, I win.”  
Keith let out a small giggle, his hold tightening around the prince, “I believe you that are correct.”  
“So…?” Lance mumbled out, his hand going up and caressing his face.  
“So…what?”  
“So, do you feel the same for me as I feel for you?” The prince could feel his heart pound erratically, fear gripping onto his body.  
The galra was quiet as he gently leaned over and kissed his cheek, “I do…however,” he pulled away, getting up and sighing, “We can’t be together…. your highness.”  
Lance frowned, getting up, “And why not? You love me and I love you! There shouldn’t be any problem.”  
“But that’s the issue, there is a problem! You’re engaged and if we were to be find out, one of us would surely be killed!” Keith argued.  
Lance got up and pulled Keith into his arms, “I don’t care about the consequences, Keith. I want you…I refuse to fall for someone else…please…can’t we at least try…?”  
Keith seemed hesitant, tense in Lance’s arms. But the prince’s plea broke through his resolve and he sighed and kissed Lance, fingers pressing into the small of his back. He pulled away after a couple moments, “Fine…we can try.”  
Lance smiled softly, pecking his lips again, “I love you…”  
The galra’s face bloomed with a blush, and he couldn’t help but allow the grin stretch over his face as he whispered, “I love you too…”  
Lance giggled, swaying to the faint music that still played in the background. This was everything he wanted.  
\----------------------------------------------  
Keith was everything to me  
I finally had him  
He was all mine and I found bliss in his arms  
But we wanted more  
Weeks went by, our love glowing brighter every day  
But with my marriage looming over us  
We decided to pursue our happy ending  
\----------------------------------------------  
Lance leaned against Keith, sitting on the balcony. He was quiet as he stared up at the night sky. The night was always his and Keith’s time. When everyone was asleep and they could be together with no interruptions. Just them and the stars. Keith seemed tired, having had to train for hours prior to this. Lance couldn’t help but smile at the adorable little pout that graced on Keith’s features.  
“My love, do you wish to sleep?” Lance asked, pecking his nose before rubbing their noses together in an eskimo kiss.  
Keith whined softly and mumbled in reply, “No…the night is only time I can talk to you with no restrictions…I refuse to sleep now…” he wrapped his arm around Lance’s waist, “Especially with the marriage coming soon.”   
The prince sighed at the mention of his marriage. He had almost forgotten about it due to how happy he has been recently, thanks to Keith.  
“I am aware of that…I don’t like thinking about it,” Lance replied, kisses pressing on his knuckles. He looked up at the stars and whispered, “Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could be somewhere else? Somewhere where we’re free and love who we want and be with who we want. That sounds beautiful, does it not?”  
Keith hummed softly, “Yeah, it does. Like paradise.”  
The galra purred into Lance’s shoulder, his fingers running up and down Lance’s arm. It sent shivers down his spine, his heart beating. He glanced down for a moment, the ship docking area not too far off in the distance.  
“Hey, love…” Lance mumbled, then pointed at one of the ships, “Its about to take off…”  
Keith’s face was buried in the crook of the prince’s neck. He grunted sleepily as he rose his head up, his ears twitching slightly. The tips rubbed slightly on Lance’s hair, making the prince sigh contently as the ship took off in a brilliant blue light, before becoming smaller and smaller, soon resembling like the stars above. Lance stared at it for a long time.  
“Keith…lets do that,” Lance whispered, his fingers lacing with Keith’s.  
“Hm…? What?”  
Lance looked at Keith in the face and repeated, “Let’s do that. Like, get into a ship and blast the fuck off this planet.”  
The galra looked confused for a long moment, before looking alarmed and standing up, though he was gentle about making sure Lance was also standing, “Whoa, what?! Y-You want to just- just steal a ship and go?!”  
Lance crossed his arms, shrugging slightly, “I mean, technically its not stealing, I’m the prince, I technically own it. So, uh, yeah. I want to run away with you.”  
Keith stared at him for a long time before his voice became hushed, “Y-You know we can’t do that, right?”  
“And where does it say that?”  
Keith groaned, “Lance, my love, I don’t think you understand the consequences of the thing you’re suggesting- “  
“-I do.”  
He stopped, watching Lance carefully, as if looking for a hint of a lie. There was none. The prince stood firmly, eyes determined as he walked over to Keith. He took his face in his hands and whispered, “I know what the consequences are. And I don’t care…” He traced the outside of Keith’s lips with his thumb, staring into his eyes, “I was always told that my family, my lineage, would never be able to keep love. That’d we’d never be happy,” Lance pressed their foreheads together, his hands moving to the base of Keith’s neck, his fingers twisting into his hair, making the galra gasp softly.  
“L-Lance, I…”  
The prince pressed his finger against his lips, “Shush for a second…” he sighed and kissed his forehead, “I refuse to ever let you go…I don’t want to be taken from you. You’re my happiness. And I want a chance to keep it. Please…please…lets leave. You and me, travelling through the stars…just us. Doesn’t that sound amazing, love?”  
Keith was quiet before nodding breathlessly, “Yes…it does. Sounds like a paradise…”  
Lance smiled and pleaded, “Please…run away with me…let’s get married.”  
Everything was silent for a moment. Tense, the air frozen for a moment as the two lovers held each other. Then, the galra nodded, leaning up to capture the prince’s lips, a sign. A promise for a future together and in love.  
\---------------------------------  
Me and Keith were going to be wed  
It was my dream come true  
We were going to leave and be free  
At least  
That was the plan  
But sometimes  
Sometimes those dreams are just that  
Dreams  
\---------------------------------  
Lance held Keith’s hand, squeezing it before whispering, “C’mon. To freedom.”  
Keith smiled softly before nodding, eyes determined. He pressed a soft kiss on the corner of Lance’ mouth, making the prince giggle. They ran down the hall, hand in hand with their baggage hanging from their backs and hands. They were smiling widely, dreams of their future swirling in their head as they stopped in front of the door leading to the ships.  
Lance stared up at it for a long time before whispering, “This is it…”   
Keith looked to Lance, nodding, “It is…”  
“Are you ready?”  
The galra paused for a moment, actually taking that second to really think about it. Lance held his breath, scared that maybe Keith wanted to back out. But a slow smile flourished on his face as he nodded, “I’m ready, Lance.”  
The prince grinned and grabbed his hand, the one with a ring. He stared at it before kissing the finger, his body squirming with excitement. He looked back up and whispered, “Let’s go.”  
They put both their hands against the door, taking synchronised breath together before pushing open the door to their fate.  
Everything was a blur to Lance as something rushed next to him and the sound of Keith’s shouts of anger rang in his ears. He turned around, reaching to grab the guards that were on top of his loved one. But something grabbed his arms and tugged him back, making him cry out in pain and surprise. He was thrown against the ground, his arms pinned against his back.   
“Lance!’ Keith cried out, struggling against the guards to reach him, but their had already snapped on handcuffs. He growled lowly, glaring up at the people who now surrounded him.  
Footsteps echoed against the vast room and walls, each step sending icy cold knives into Lance’s heart. He looked up and saw the smug expression that could only belong to Lotor. He could see every inch of satisfaction etching itself into the king’s face.  
“Well, looks like we have two star-crossed lovers here,” he purred, a mocking tone lacing every word. He waved for the guards to stop surrounding Keith and bent down to look at him in the face, “And one being the very person I hired. Never would I have expected someone like you to perform an act of treason. And yet, here you are. Ignoring everything you were taught. For what? A life with the prince? Someone who far above your league. Light years of distance.”  
Keith growled and lashed out, his fangs shining in the dim lights of the room. He was pulled back from Lotor, but not without shouting, “You motherfucker!”  
The king’s face morphed into that of annoyance. He rose and waved his hand, “You’re annoying. Shut him up.”  
Keith was about to shout something else, but the feeling of leather closing around his head stopped him. He shook his head furiously, trying to knock the muzzle off, but no such luck.  
Lance glared, “You leave him out of this, Lotor! H-he…he had nothing to do with this! He’s innocent! I was the one who insisted that we do this!”  
The king bent down, watching Lance for a second before saying, “Are you implying that you’ve fallen in love while you’re already engaged? What a scandal.” He grabbed the prince’s chin and grinned, forcing him to look at his smug face, “How pitiful. You do know what happens now, don’t you?” He turned Lance’ head to stare at Keith, who was now being held up by his neck, “Execution.”  
Lance shouted loudly, “Let him go! Please, PLEASE! He’s everything to me!”  
The king paused for a moment, before signalling for the guard to let Keith down. He turned back to Lance and hummed, “Please, I’d love to listen to you beg for mercy~” Sadism dripped over every word, his eyes flashing with excitement from watching Lance sob for Keith to be okay.  
Lance snarled, “You’re sick.”  
“Beg or else your precious boy toy is going to have his windpipes crushed in front of your eyes. Beg, you pitiful creature.”  
Lance’s eyes widened before he swallowed his pride and whispered, “P-please…spare him…he did nothing wrong…” He could feel Lotor’s breath against his neck, making him cringe, “H-he’s innocent.”  
The king smirked, “Louder, I want everyone in the castle to hear you beg.”  
“P-Please! Please spare his life, he’s worth everything to me!” Lance pleaded, repeating over and over like a mantra, his eyes not on Lotor but Keith, who was struggling against the chains that now bound him, desperate to get to him. Lance felt tears roll down his face before looking back at Lotor, “I-if you must kill someone…kill me. It was my fault.”  
Keith’s muffled screaming bounced off the walls, his eyes now fully yellow as he rushed to get to him, but was still held down, despite his enraged state. Lotor watched the scene, his eyes calculating. Lance’s heart dropped as a smirk spreads over his face.  
“I believe I’ve made my mind. Send the prince back to his room. Take this…criminal to the dungeon. We’ll deal with him in the morning,” he said, standing up and waving them off.  
Keith and Lance were dragged towards the door, shouts from both sides. Lance shouted for Keith, his tears rubbing against the floor as he was dragged away from him, “KEITH! NO!”  
Keith had many guards on him, dragging him away. The galra still fought back, but his face showed a clear exhaustion. He looked for Lance before turning the corner.   
Lance kept shouting, screaming for the guards to get off of him, for someone to help him. But all he got was a face full of floor. He heard the door slam and lock, making him jolt up and bang on the door desperately, shouting for help. But in the vastness of the castle, his voice was lost.  
.  
.  
.  
Lance was woken up by the sound of his door opening. He had fallen asleep due to exhaustion from his screaming and crying, so everything was blurry.  
“Lance? Oh my god, Lance…”  
He looked up at the sound of his name, briefly muttering, “Mama…?” but as his vision cleared, he realized that it was just Allura.  
The princess froze for a moment before sighing and saying, “Lance, are you alright?”  
The prince sat up, quiet as he looked at his surroundings, his body on the hard marble floor. He felt dizzy, his skin felt grimy and his vision was blurred with exhaustion and tears. He looked out the window and asked, “W-what time is it?”  
“It’s the morning. You missed breakfast, so I came up to see if something was wrong,” Allura replied, crouching down, a plate of food in her hands.  
Lance slowly registered the information. His blood ran cold as he shot up, looking around frantically for Keith. He looked to the open door, his vision tunnelling as he sprinted to it, turning the corner as Allura cried out his name. He barely recognized people walking by, the sounds, the calls of his name. Just that he had to get to Keith before something happened.  
He could see the door leading to the dungeon and headed towards it. He stepped down the stairs, shivering at the cold. He looked down the long corridor of occupied and empty cells. He walked down the hall, looking at each cell. Finally, at the end of the hall was Keith, sitting alone in his cell, sitting on the bed and staring at the ground. Lance dropped down onto his knees as he lets out a breath of relief, startling the Galra.  
“L-Lance…?” he asked softly, eyes wide before running to the edge of his cell, his hands pressed against the barrier blocking the two of them, “What are you-?”  
“We need to get you out of here,” Lance interrupted, his tone frantic as he looked at the cell, searching for a way to get Keith out. But he didn’t see anything other than a scanner. He reached to the touch it, when Keith stopped him.  
“Lance, no! If you do that, then Lotor will know you’re down here! You have to leave!” Keith got up, trying to get eye level with the prince, who was now crying.  
“Leave?! I’m not leaving you here to rot or end up executed! No way!” Lance exclaimed, his hand against the barrier as he pounded his fist against it, desperate.  
“Love, stop! You’ll hurt yourself, stop!” Keith shouted, unable to do anything other than watch as the prince banged against the barrier, his sobs wrecking his body as he slowly sank to his knees. His punches grew weaker until his hands dropped to his sides, soft whimpers and cries coming from him. Keith went down his knees, pressed his head against the barrier, “Love…look at me.”  
Lance shook his head, replying, “I can’t…if I do, I will never be able to forget you…”  
“Do you want to…?”  
He was quiet for a long time before shaking his head, “…. no. I just…this isn’t fair. I just wanted to fall in love and be happy. I finally find love in you and now…!” His breath hitched, “now you’re going to…to…”  
“Lance, look at me, please…”  
The prince’s head slowly lifted, his forehead now against the barrier, staring into Keith’s loving yet sorrow-filled eyes, “Keith…”  
The galra smiled softly, his hand rising to touch what would’ve been Lance’s shoulder, “You gave me more than enough… You gave me feelings I thought I’d never have of feeling. Things I thought were fake and lies. But thanks to you, I know they’re not. And…I believe if this is the day I die, then I will find you again. Whether in heaven or another life…I will never let this love go.”  
Lance sobbed again, his hand rising to touch the place with Keith’s hand was, “Promise me…please…I don’t want to be alone…”  
“You won’t…no matter where I am…I promise…”  
.  
.  
.  
Lance locked himself in his room, shutting the windows and curling up in his bed. He didn’t want to hear the cheers and shouts of outrage at the public execution. He didn’t want to see Lotor’s smug face as he would likely get the honours of cutting Keith’s head off. He didn’t want to see the bloody path that would likely be there on the ground as they dragged Keith’s body across it, then throw it in the river for it to end up somewhere deep in the ocean, never to be heard from again. He didn’t want to see.  
He didn’t know how long he stayed isolated in his room, wallowing and sinking deeper and deeper into his memories of Keith. But when there was a knock on the door, he didn’t make a move to open it. But it just kept going, not allowing him to just let him be. So, he finally got up, dragging his feet across the ground as he opened the door and saw Allura there.  
She stepped inside, not making at comment about the bags under his eyes, the frailness of his body and the streaks of tears that had permanently made their home on his face. She sighed softly as she said, “I was walking in town, and I…I found this by the execution grounds. I think this is suppose to be yours…” Allura held out her hand, revealing a ring. It was plain, with the colour of Lance’s eyes as the centre piece. A beautiful gem that seemed to hold a bit of an ocean in it. The band had engravings on it, saying ‘To the future, my Lance’.  
The prince stared at it for a long time before gently taking it. His voice was hoarse as he replied, “Thank you.”  
Allura only nodded before leaving, saying softly, “I’ll bring you some dinner…”  
Lance didn’t even notice the door shutting. He stared at the ring, his fingers gingerly running over the words, quiet sobs starting to rumble in his chest. He read the words softly as his voice wavered over every word, “To the future…my Keith…”  
\--------------------------------  
And thus, the prince and the curse   
Remained  
\--------------------------------  
Lena looked up with a frown on her face, “Uncle Lance! That’s so sad, why would you read to me?”  
Lance shrugged and said with a smile, “I mean, it was favourite story when I was a kid.”  
“But why? Its so sad! The prince never got to be with his love!”  
Lance hummed, leaning back as he shuts the book, staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars that littered the ceiling, “Well…I always felt a connection to it, I guess. It’s kind of a sweet story. The guard promised that he’d find the prince again.”  
Lena sat up, eyes curious as Lance got up and placed the book back into it’s spot in the bookshelf, “Did he?”  
Lance heard a beep outside the window and he looked out, seeing Keith on his motorcycle, waving at him with the small smile that Lance loved. He glanced down at Lena and said, “That’s up to you to decide.” He kissed her forehead and whispered, “Sleep. It’s late.”  
The little girl whined, “But you’re going out!”  
“But I’m older so I can do that. I can’t keep Keith waiting too long. He hates waiting,” Lance replied before shutting the door and rushing to get his shoes on and out the door.  
Keith walked up Lance as he approached, handing the boy a blue helmet, making Lance grin, “Where are we going this time? Romantic restaurant, the pier fair, or maybe shady Taco Bell that smells like weed?”  
Keith scoffed as he climbed onto his bike, “The Taco Bell date was great and you know it.”  
Lance laughed as he climbed on behind him, his arms wrapping around his waist, “I don’t think getting offered drugs at like, 2 am is a good date.”  
His boyfriend started laughing too, “Whatever, you still liked it. I’m a poor college kid, cut me some slack!”  
“Suuuure, you say with your sweet motorcycle. Whatever, totally poor,” Lance teased as the motor reeved.  
“I’ll have you know, I built this baby with junk!”   
“Yeah, yeah, I know, super genius and all that.”  
“That’s Pidge.”  
Lance giggled against Keith’s shoulder as the wind rushed past them, “Okay, but seriously, where are we going?”  
“On an adventure,” Keith said cryptically, making the Cuban roll his eyes and bite back a smile of amusement.  
“So, like every night?”  
“Every night and until we die.”   
Lance smiled at his statement and kissed his shoulder, “I like the sound of that.”


End file.
